Reykjavík Grapevine - 02.06.2017, Síða 46

Only Mildly Scary
Horror and Icelandic Cinema
Words: Valur Gunnarsson
‘Ég man þig’
(‘I Remember You’)
Laugarásbíó/Smárabíó/Haskólabíó/
Borgarbíó
In Icelandic, no subtitles (yet)
On the face of it, Iceland sounds
like fertile ground for horror. There
are many places where it’s possible
to end up isolated
with bad cellphone
reception, and ghost
s t o r i e s a b o u n d .
And yet, horror has
not been a staple of
Icelandic cinema.
1983’s ‘Húsið’ (“The
House”) was the first
local attempt at a su-
pernatural thriller,
though future direc-
tor of Viking films
Hrafn Gunnlaugsson
made the TV movie
‘Blóðrautt sólarlag’
( “ C r i m s o n S u n -
set”), about strange
goings-on in an abandoned place,
in 1977. The B-movie ‘Reykjavík
Whale Watching Massacre’, from
2009, was more splatter than hor-
ror, whereas 2014’s ‘Grafir og bein’
(“Graves and Bones”) was a rare
full-blown attempt at genre hor-
ror, with ghost children and every-
thing.
Director Óskar Þór Axelsson
has previously made genre films
palatable for Icelandic cinema.
Most local attempts at gangsta
have been predictably silly, but his
debut ‘Svartur á leik’
(“Black’s Game”) was
surprisingly effec-
tive, not just the first
good Icelandic gang-
ster film—excluding
the comedy‘Sódóma
Reykjavík’ aka ‘Re-
mote Control’—but
an interesting addi-
tion to the gangster
genre in general.

Jogging
Doctors
In his latest film, ‘I
Remember You’, he
tackles horror, using much of the
same cast from his earlier film.
The filmmaking is adept, but the
story, based on Yrsa Sigurðardót-
tir’s book of the same name, is
somewhat lacking (spoiler alerts
follow). Following Baltasar Kor-
mákur’s recent ‘The Oath’, beard-
ed jogging doctors have become
something of a trope, and here the
beard is sported and the jogging
done by Jóhannes Haukur Jóhan-
nesson as a psychiatrist who has
lost his son—a far cry from his
imposing drug dealer in Óskar’s
last film. The charming Ágústa
Eva Erlendsdóttir is, after this
and‘Borgríki 2’ (“City State 2”)
reaching almost Sean Bean-esque
levels of onscreen violent deaths.
Perhaps it is somehow retribution
for Sylvia Nótt?
Iceland has a fine tradition of
mediums who put people in touch
with deceased relatives, and even
today many prefer these to earth-
lier psychiatrists when faced with
tragedy. However, the lawyer to
the deceased in ‘I Remember You’
verges on unintentional self-par-
ody. Then there is the matter of
the couple who decide to go into
the wilderness to save their mar-
riage and bring hubby’s mistress
along to an abandoned place far
away from mobile phone networks.
What could possibly go wrong?
Meet the monster
The actors deliver, and the
building up of tension works
quite well initially—as we have
seen before, Óskar knows how to
pace things. But as with previous
Icelandic attempts at horror, there
is something about meeting the
monsters that just seems a little
underwhelming. Perhaps the su-
pernatural is best left to the creak-
ing floors and opening doors and
other inexplicable events that we
on this island know all too well? Or
perhaps a more temporal dénoue-
ment would have been more sat-
isfactory, in the manner of Yrsa’s
other works? For all the success of
Icelandic crime fiction, not many
of these books have been translated
to the screen. Only ‘Jar City’ comes
to mind, and this one here is not an
obvious choice for adaptation.
But for all its faults, ‘I Remember
You’ is still the best Icelandic hor-
ror film to date. One even emerges
with a newfound appreciation of
the genre. Making horror is not as
simple as it looks. Óskar doesn’t
nail this in quite the same way he
nailed his explosive, near-perfect
debut. But there is every sign that
greater things are to come.
Find today's events
in Iceland!
Download our free
listings app - APPENING
on the Apple and
Android stores
Museums
ÁRBÆR OPEN AIR MUSEM
Daily guided tours
Tours are from 13:00 to 14:00
through its open air exhibits.
• On permanent view
THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF ICELAND
'The Making of A Nation'
This exhibition is intended to pro-
vide insight into the history of the
Icelandic nation from Settlement to
the present day.
• On permanent view
REYKJAVÍK CITY MUSEUM
‘Settlement Sagas: Accounts from
Manuscripts’
This exhibition has rarely seen
manuscripts that tell the history of
the settlement of Reykjavík.
• On permanent view
REYKJAVÍK MARITIME MUSEUM
'The Coast Guard Vessel Óðinn'
This vessel sailed through all three
Cod Wars and has also served as a
rescue ship to more than 200 ships.
• On permanent view
'From Poverty to Abundance'
Photos documenting Icelandic
fishermen at the turn of the 20th
century.
• On permanent view
'The History of Sailing'
Iceland’s maritime history that
showcases the growth of the Reyk-
javík Harbour.
• On permanent view
'Seawomen'
The fishing women of Iceland, past
and present.
• On permanent view
VOLCANO HOUSE
The exhibition gives a brief overview
of Iceland’s magnificent nature.
• On permanent view
THE ICELANDIC PHALLOLOGICAL
MUSEUM
Permanent Exhibition
More than 215 penises and penile
parts belonging to land and sea
mammals of Iceland.
• On permanent view
Film
This month's special screenings at Bíó Paradís. For the complete schedule,
visit www.bioparadis.is.
Currently Screening
• The Goonies: Party Screening!
June 2, 20:00
• Peter Pan Live Broadcast
June 10, June 11, 20:00
• Pulp Fiction: Party Screening!
June 9, 20:00
• Carrie: Late Night Screening!
June 10, 22:00
• Regularly Screening:
Knight of Cups, Hidden Figures,
Everybody Wants Some, Of Horses
And Men, Sigur rós Heima, Paterson,
Heartstone, Genius, Jar City, Lion,
Embrace Of The Serpent, Rams
Events
Carrie
Bearded doctors as far as the eye can see
"The couple
go to an
abandoned
place to
save their
marriage.
What could
possibly go
wrong?"
FILM
MORE INFORMATION, OTHER TOURS & BOOKINGS AT:
WWW.STERNATRAVEL.COM OR VISIT OUR SALES DESK AT
HARPA CONCERT HALL DOWNTOWN REYKJAVÍK
GOLDEN CIRCLE &
THE SECRET LAGOON
A perfect combo of sightseeing
& relaxation in a natural lagoon!
Starting time 10:30
Free pick-up from 10:00
Duration 8 - 8,5 hours
PRICE: 12.900 ISK
BOOK
ONLINE &
GET
STERNATR
AVEL .COM
Gullfoss waterfallGeys
ir - hot
spring
area